Review: Nine

In Nine, Daniel Day Lewis stars as Guido Cantino (is it me, or does that name qualify as a mild hate crime?), a flamboyant Italian film-maker whose next movie (his ninth) has been pre-destined by his handlers and studio to not only be a masterpiece but restore his entire country's sense of pride and dignity. Italia is set to begin shooting in a week with a massive budget and hundreds of craftspeople hard at work but Guido has yet to write a single word of the script or even come up with a concept. Attempting to break his writer's block, Cantino wiles away his time with the many (many, many) beautiful women in his life including his mother, staff, wife, mistress, muse, fans and a prostitute.

Nine was adapted from Maury Yeston's Broadway musical which was loosely based on the classic Frederico Fellini film 8 1/2. But similar to Werner Herzog's (ironically, rather Fellini-esque) re-make of Abel Ferrera's Bad Lieutenant earlier this year, you're better off having little knowledge of the inspirational material. It's better to just accept Nine on its own merits.

The film boast an other-wordly assemblage of actresses and female performers but bad staging, boxy cinematography and leaden songs flatten out much of their natural charisma. Penelope Cruz is the only one who escapes the least scathed as mistress Carla, a role that allows Cruz's delicate balance of playful and pained to be fully displayed. A mostly wordless Mamma Cantino is played by the legendary Sophia Loren. Kate Hudson is a free-wheeling, sexual libertine who's arrived in Italy to write about Italia for an American fashion magazine. Dame Judi Dench plays Lilli, Cantino's long-time costumer, who shows up only occasionally to deliver a load of exposition and a quick zinger. Fergie (of the Black Eyed Peas) appears as a prostitute, who (in flashbacks) teaches the young Guido about the art of pleasing women. She's also the only one with a memorable song and the ability to keep her hair out of her mouth while performing. Marion Cotillard feels like she's in another movie entirely, creating real compassion for Guido's jilted wife Luisa. Mrs. Cantino gave up her own career to be engulfed by the life and influence of her husband.. only to discover a new mistress behind every door. Nicole Kidman plays Claudia, Guido's golden muse and go-to starlet. Her presence is felt but she only really arrives at the end of the film to deliver some hard truths to Guido.

In a scene rich with potential, Guido and Claudia flee the paparazzi in his adorable Italian sports car then immediately get into a passive-aggressive argument. She eggs him on for details about the script, he flares up in anger, saying, "No one cares about my script, they come to see you. They're more interested in the way you turn your head then anything I have to say!" This is such a missed opportunity to use Kidman to provide some insight (or just fun) as a woman whose personal life has been dominated by tabloid coverage but still managed to emerge as a respected actress. Instead, Claudia meekly confesses her love for Guido (guh) then in an abrupt turn tells him the reason he can no longer write is because he is devoid of any real human feeling. Now, having burned through his charm, he's been revealed as an empty hull of a man and saunters off-screen.

Up to this point, Guido has been able to convince himself of his own greatness. Carla's character is extremely inviting to Guido. (Indeed, Cruz and Lewis's phone sex scene is one of the more memorable sequences in the film.) Yet he's turned off when she confesses that she spends every waking hour psychologically imprinting herself to understand him. Kate Hudson's go-go dancing journalist professes to be a huge fan of his work, but can only discuss the style of clothing his characters wear. Lilli ruthlessly teases him that directing is a fool's errand, and he can't even do that right. But it's long-time collaborator Claudia's rejection that ultimately convinces him he's finished.

The film's technical flaws would be easier to forgive if not for the glaring mis-casting of Daniel Day Lewis as Guido Cantino. What moviegoers admire about Lewis is that he chooses outlandish, larger-than-life roles and then commits completely to pouring himself into the necessary (if maniacal) mold. He's an excellent technician who can hit his psychological marks but Lewis doesn't generate enough of his own creative impulses to ever be believed as an auteur whose every whim must be indulged. Nor does he possess any natural charisma or sex appeal to help us understand why all of these women suffer so much abuse at his hands. Watching Lewis in nearly every frame of Nine is akin to watching an auto mechanic try to figure skate.

These issues notwithstanding, Nine is not without its charms or wisdom. Last week Manola Darghis wrote a scathing editorial on institutional sexism currently present in the film industry. In a particularly great passage Darghis focuses on what little evidence is required for men to be considered creative geniuses. All they have to do is show a little potential early on and then surround themselves with people who tell them they're great. This theme resonates in Nine, as we're never made to believe Guido's talents warrant the lavish attention and resources being heaped upon him or tremendously invested in his comeback.

Nine will not be a satisfying experience to people who find it via its Fellini connection. Absent is the intoxicating empowerment of watching the world (chiefly, women and their bodies) through Fellini's worshipful lens. Or the rich pleasure of his troubled yet charming playboys. But it's a tour de force for some cinema's most exciting women that may prove to have more cultural significance a few years removed from our current state of celebrity obsession.

Comments

[Candice Frederick]

hmmm...the cast looked better than the acual story and movie but with your review, maybe it's actually better than what it seems.